‘It was absolutely incredible and offered a beautiful view,’ said the 31-year-old, before adding what she really thought: ‘It was unnerving and the basket creaked slightly, which was slightly disconcerting.’

The Palletways Dragon balloon was the brainchild of pilot Christian Brown, who has 18 years’ experience flying balloons but still thought the flight was a ‘terrifying experience’.

‘We’ve done tethered trials before, which usually end with passengers shrieking and screaming in fear, but this is the first time we’ve actually taken to the skies unaided,’ he said.

‘Ordinarily, you would look over the edge of the basket to peer at the ground but there is something very disconcerting about seeing it right beneath your feet.’

Mr Brown travelled the world in a balloon with tycoon Richard Branson and holds the tethered altitude world record after flying at 3,048m (10,000ft) on a mountain in Chile.

The 44-year-old now hopes to use the new balloon to break his own record in true stomach-churning style.

The balloon was designed by Shropshire-based Lindstrand Balloons and flew to mark the start of the 2010 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.